Listen Up: Free Hearing Tests for CUMC Employees and Families
Audiologists from the Department of Otolaryngology will screen CUMC employees and their families for hearing loss, free of charge, in recognition of Better Speech and Hearing Month, an initiative started by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association to raise awareness about communication disorders.
The screenings will be offered on Tuesday, May 10, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Harkness Pavilion, 7th Floor. No appointment is necessary.
More than 30 million adolescents and adults in the United States have some form of hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The audiologists at CUMC are dedicated to identifying hearing loss as early as possible and providing aural rehabilitation, including speech therapy and hearing aids.
Most hospitals perform hearing screenings for newborns, but hearing loss can develop at any age. Many schools offer periodic hearing screenings for school-age children, whereas older children and adults may be screened at the doctor’s office.
“Hearing loss affects more than a person’s ability to detect and understand sounds and speech,” says Cassandra Bosworth, AuD, assistant professor of audiology (in otolaryngology/head & neck surgery) at CUMC. “It has been documented that hearing loss can also have a detrimental effect on social interactions and even cognitive function, as Columbia researchers recently reported. Early detection of hearing loss and aural rehabilitation can help to lessen these effects.”
Older children and adults are screened with the pure-tone test, in which the participant wears headphones and listens to a series of beeps. The screening takes approximately 10 minutes and identifies individuals who need a complete diagnostic hearing exam.
Call 212-305-0029 for additional information.